Sound producing device for a tap dancing shoe



y 1940- s. G. MANDALIAN I 2.200.848

SOUND PRODUCING DEVICE FOR A TAP DANCING vSHOE Filed Feb. 23, 1939 INVENTOR.

Patented May 1 1940 SOUND PRODUCING DEVICE FOR A TAP DANCING SHOE Sahatiel G. Mandalian, North Attleboro, Mass. Application February 23, 1939, Serial No. 257,947

6 Claims.

This invention relates to tap dancing shoes or slippers, and more particularly to a sound producing attachment to be applied to the toe or heel portion of the sole of a shoe; and has for one of its objects the causing of a jingling or clinking sound during a movement or a tapping of the shoe on the floor.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sound producing device in which the tone may be adjusted to suit the individual taste of the dancer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sound producing device for attachment to the sole of a shoe in which the jingling sound is caused when the shoe is shaken by vthe normal tapping blows made by the dancer on the floor.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple retaining of the parts in assembled relation by reason of the novel structure provided.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and

I particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the under side of a tap dancing shoe, partly in section, showing attached to the toe portion of the sole a sound producing device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the dancing shoe structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the sound producing device embodying my invention, and shown complete and removed from a shoe;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional View taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3; I v

Fig. '7 is a detail perspective view of one of the sound producing members;

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of one of the sound producing members;

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective View of the casing for housing the sound producing members; and

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the soundproducing device complete and mounted in an operating position on the toe plate ready to be fastened thereto.

It is desirable in tap dancing to provide some sort of means for giving clear, loud taps and to augment the tapping sound normally made by the dancer when tapping the feet on'thefloor and, in

addition, to provide some means whereby the tone of the taps may be controlled to produce the tapping sound desirable in dancing; and in order to obtain the foregoing advantages I have provided a plate structure for attachment to the toe portion of the sole of a dancing shoe in which I there is provided a sound producing device in the form of an insert containing one or more loose movable disc members capable of producing sounds upon impact with the walls of the housing during relative movement of such members with reference to the housing when shaken during tapping of the shoe on the floor; and I have so constructed this sound producing device that sounds of the tone desired by dancer may be had by varying either the number or the size, or both,

of the sound producing discs employed, and the following is a more detailed description of the present embodiment of this invention, illustrating the preferred means by which these advanshapes for the heel may be had, the plate being placed in contact with the outside of the sole of the shoe and secured thereto by means of a row of fastening members I8, such as flat head flush screws of suitable size, passing through the countersunk holes 20 formed in the circumferential flange 2! into the sole I4 of the shoe. The top or inside of the plate l5 which is adapted to be placed adjacent the sole of the shoe, is provided with a recess or a cavity 22 having the same cona tour as that of the plate but of smaller size, and

a large aperture 24 is formed in the central portion of the plate i5 into which is inserted and secured in place the hollow casing 25 of the sound producing device I6.

As illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 the outer bottom edge of the aperture 23 is grooved as indicated at 26 in Fig. 6 so as to provide an annular shoulder 21 against which abuts the circular flange 28 of the casing 25 of the sound producing device'i 6 whenthe same is located in its normal working position on the plate 15.

The casing 25 is made preferably of metal and is of generally cylindrical shape having an end wall 29 at one end while the opposite end is open,- the edges of the side walls adjacent such open casing 25 while the remaining fingers 30 upon being deflected at right angles in the opposite direction as shown in Figs. 3 and 6 form fastening members disposed inside of the cavity 22 for securely afiixing the casing to the plate I 5.

In order to cause the jingling or clinking sounds when the dancer moves the shoe during tapping, I have provided within the interior of the hollow housing thus formed by the assembly of the casing 25 and the cover plate 3|, one or more loose bodies of desired form, preferably composed of metal and in the embodiment shown in Figs. 5 and 6 they comprise a plurality of sheet metal. discs 3.3 which are stacked one above the other within the casing, sufiicient clearance being provided between the discs and the various walls of the casing and the cover for motion sideways and up and down to cause a jingling sound upon impact of the loose discs when shaken. The outer face of the end wall 29 of the casing 25 provides a tapping surface for causing the desired tapping sound on the floor while the inside surface of saidwall receives the impacts of the jolted discs 33 for making the jingling or ciinking sound desired.

A series of apertures 35 formed in the cover plate 3| provide better passages for the sound communicating with the cavity 22 which forms a resonant chamber capable of intensifying the sound produced by the discs.

The character of the sound produced by the discs may be varied by changing the number of the discs present in the? chamber or the sound product may be varied by changing the thickness or the diameter of the discs used or all of these elements may be utilized for the variation of the sound to obtain the qualitydesired and a wide variety of such quality has been found to be possible.-

Theforegoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it tobeiunderstood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is suceptible', the invention being defined'and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A sound producing device for attachment to a tap dancingshoe or slipper comprising a metal plate adapted to be attached to a portion of a shoe and having a cavity in its top face arranged to be. disposed adjacent the bottom of a shoe and an-enlarged-cut out portion through said plate centrally thereof and communicating with said cavity, a hollowclosedhousing'incorporated in said out out portion-of said plate, and loosepieces of metal within said housing; adapted to produce a clinking or jinglingsound when the shoe is normally tapped byadancer o-n'the floor, said cavity being capable of intensifying the sound produced by the metal pieces.

2. A sound producing device for attachment to a tap dancing shoe or slipper comprising a plate adapted to be attached to the toe portion ofthe sole of a shoe and having an enlargedcut out portion extending therethrough, a hollow casing open at one endand set into said cut out portiom-inte'rengaging means between saidf'casing and said plate for preventing the casing from being pushed through the plate in the direction of the sole, a cover plate ofa shape fitting snugly within said casing, means adjacent the open end of said casing deflected over the cover plate in one direction for retaining said cover plate fixed in the casing and in another direction for securing the casing to the plate, and means loosely disposed within said housing adapted to produce a clinking or jingling sound when the shoe is normally tapped by the dancer on the floor.

3. A sound producing device for attachment to a tap dancing shoe or slipper comprising a plate adapted to be attached to the toe portion of the sole of a shoe and having an enlarged cut out portion extending therethrough, a hollow casing open at one end and set into said out out A portion, interengaging'means between said casing and said plate for preventing the casing from being pushed through the plate in the direction of the sole, a cover plate of a shape fitting snugly within said casing, a plurality of spaced fingers adjacent the open end of said casing, some of said fingers being deflected over the cover plate in one direction for retaining said cover plate fixed in the casing and the remainder of said fingers'being deflected in the opposite direction over the plate for securing the casing to the plate, and loose pieces of metal disposed within said housing adapted to produce aclinking or jingling sound when the sole of the shoe is normally tapped by a dancer on the floor.

4. A sound producing device for attachment to a tap dancing shoe or slipper comprising a plate adapted to be attached to the toe portion of the sole of a shoe and having an enlarged cut out portion extending therethrough, a hollow casing open at one end set into said out out portion, interengaging means betwe'e'n'said' casing and said plate for preventing the casing from being pushed through the'plate in the direction of the sole, a cover plate'of a shape fitting snugly within said casing, means adjacent the open' end;

of said casing deflectedover the cover plate in a 7 direction for retaining" said cover plate fixed in r contour as that of the plate but of smaller size,

the plate being adapted to be attached'to the outside of and beneath a bottom portion of a shoe with said recess disposed opposite the outer surface of such bottom portion of the shoe, said plate also having an enlarged'cutout portion'extending therethroughiand communicating with said recess, a hollow closed'housing incorporated in said cutout portion of said plate, and means loosely disposed within said housing adapted to produce a clinking' or jingling sound when the shoe is normally tapped by a dancer on the'fioor.

6. A sound producing device for attachment to a tap dancing shoe or slipper comprising a metal plate of a shape to conform with the toe portion ofa shoe and having'a recess in its top surface.

of the same contour as that of the plate but of a outside of, and'in contact with, the bottom of the sole portion of 'a shoe withtherecess' disposed opp site the outer surfaceof the bottom of said sole -portion"of a shoe; said plate also hav smaller size, the platebeing adapted. to be secured ing an enlarged cutout portion extending through the plate from its bottom to said recess, a hollow closed housing insert secured in said cutout portion of said plate and comprising two 5 members having telescoping relationship one within the other, and loose pieces of metal within said housing adapted to produce a clinking or jingling sound when the shoe is normally tapped by a dancer on the floor, said recess when said plate is afllxed to a shoe in operative relationship thereon functioning for intensifying the sound produced by the metal p ieces.

SAHATIEL Gr. MANDAIJAN. 

